Hello TFCians,
I have just concluded my South Africa family trip and would like to document everything for my fellow members here in this travelogue. So in March after returning from Hong Kong, I was zeroing in on my next destination considering places I could travel with my infant in August since I could see a long trip opportunity by clubbing my leaves with other leaves. @anirban.choudhury suggested some good places and South Africa suited me a lot due to the good weather (winters). Also, I had transferred a lot of my points to United before Axis Bank devalued the transfer ratio on Magnus. My miles gave me great value even for the economy seats and the availability was great for the planned dates. Moreover, Africa has always fascinated me with its wildlife hence I have wanted to explore it for a long time now.
This trip was many firsts for me.
Before we go into the detailed itinerary and costs/miles involved I would like to summarise some important information below.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is not mandatory for South Africa visits but I never travel anywhere without protecting myself from unforeseen circumstances. I purchased travel insurance from Acko since I found the policy to be very comprehensive and much cheaper than other companies with the same benefits. I paid 1748 INR for 2 adults and 1 infant for 11 days.
Safety Concerns
As per the statistics, South Africa is ranked one of the most dangerous countries in Africa with a high rate of violent crime but tourist areas are arguably very safe and most of the tourist places in Cape Town have Tourist Security officials positioned on the ground. Also, we didn't face a single incident whatsoever in our 10 days of stay. I would suggest the following things as a precaution which I followed as per my research.
Cape Town
Avoid going to townships (Resettlement Colonies) whether it's day or night. You must avoid Nyanga, Phillipi, Khayelitsha, Phillipi, Delft, Gugulethu, Langa, Mitchell Plains and such areas. Cape Flats are flooded with townships and are best avoided. When in Cape Town N2 and N1 Motorways are best friends so stick to them as much as possible. For exploring south Cape Town take M3 and M5 and avoid roads like R310 and R300 which pass via townships.
Johannesburg
Since we stayed for just a night in Joburg I didn't research much but there are certain areas near CBD like Yeoville, Berea, Hillbrow and Jeppestown which you can avoid driving through.
Load Shedding
In South Africa, the power consumption outweighs generation and scheduled power cuts are done but in the last 150 days, there has been no load shedding in the country for the first time in years which is a good thing for tourists. Although all major hotels have power backup you won't face any security or water shortage issues even if load shedding happens.
VISA
It is recommended to apply for the visa at least 30-45 days in advance although they process it in 5-7 days on average. Since I stayed in Chandigarh and there was no VFS Global Centre here, I went to Delhi to apply for it. I paid just 9.2k INR for 3 visas instead of the 24k INR fees mentioned on websites like Atlys and 15k INR on Akbar Travels. The documents list is quite tedious and very similar to what's asked for a Schengen Visa. All the details for the visa can be checked from here. Also, be prepared with a consent letter and support letter for the infant which is not mentioned in the checklist. I received my passports back with my Visa within 5 days of application.
E-Visa: South Africa also allows e-visa applications for Indians but as per my research their portal is full of glitches and if you are somehow able to submit the application the embassy takes ages to process the same. Hence this route is better avoided.
Yellow fever vaccination is not required if your transit time is less than 12 hours in Ethiopia. Ours was 1.5 hours so we didn't get vaccinated.
Cash Withdrawal and Credit Cards
South Africa is a highly cashless economy with every merchant having POS machines readily available. Also, most of the attractions are completely cashless and you won't be able to enter without tapping your card. I was armed with Axis Reserve and AMEX Platinum Charge cards for the swipes. I used AXIS Reserve very extensively there to get my 2x points on forex transactions. When it comes to cash withdrawals unfortunately none of the ATMs will allow you to withdraw cash using Indian Debit Cards without paying terminal charges just like in Thailand, Mexico and Panama. Most ATMs like Nedbank, Standard, Capitec and FNB will charge you 50 ZAR (~240INR) per cash withdrawal except banks like ABSA which will charge you 75 ZAR. I withdrew 2000 ZAR for my whole stay and the amount proved to be good enough. The cash was used mainly for tipping and donations.
SIM Card
There are four major operators in SA and two of them (Vodacom and MTN) have their kiosks at the Cape Town International Arrival Hall. Vodacom has a more comprehensive reach but is costlier while MTN is cheaper. I had taken MTN and was quite satisfied with its coverage since it worked almost everywhere. I purchased two physical sims each costing around 349 ZAR (~1650 INR) for around 10GB of data and 60 local calling minutes. I had already checked the prices of e-sim providers online and all of them were costing much more than this. I didn't look for any card-specific offers for the sim online due to lack of time.
Travel Adaptors and Voltage
South Africa runs on a 220V AC supply hence you won't be needing any voltage converter. Further Type N and Type M travel adaptors are used in South Africa. There is no need to buy anything for Type M since the 16A Power plug which we use in India is Type M only so if you have a multi-plug at home then that would suffice. Also, type N was more widely used in hotels for bedside tables so if you like to use your phone while charging then you will have to look for a Type N to Type D converter which is not easily available in India.
Tipping Guide
In South Africa, tipping is a common courtesy and one should budget it when planning a trip since it's best to learn the culture of a place and its people to avoid doubts and awkward situations. Although tipping is discretionary but is widely accepted in SA and makes a significant part of the income of the service industry workers. Here I am mentioning some tips for giving tips which I gathered from a local while on my trip.
Flights
Booked the following flights using 1,54,000 United Miles and 17.5K in taxes using the Excursionist Perk of United Airlines. The revenue rate of these flights is more than 2L INR easily and South Africa is one of the few destinations from India which gives you good value even in the Economy. I took the fastest carrier to fly from India to RSA which is the Ethiopian Airlines with a stopover in its capital city of Addis Ababa (ADD).
The return flight was chosen specifically from Joburg since the timings were suitable and also wanted to see the famed leader Nelson Mandela's house in Soweto, Johannesburg.
Rental Cars and Car Insurance
In the first instance, I had planned to take a car rental from Avis using any Visa Infinite card that I hold since it automatically enrols one into their President’s Club which gives double upgrades sometimes. But later when I compared the rates on Skyscanner I found them heavily inflated so I booked cars for each booking separately and got the choicest options at cheaper prices. For rental car insurance, I chose a cover from rentalcover.com which covers all the damages and also covers the cost of Roadside Assistance in case the need arises. For the complete trip, the insurance cost me around 6000 INR which proved to be cheaper than what I had paid to Avis.
Rental 1: CPT to PLZ (km driven 2385)
Toyota Corolla Quest - Car Rental 20685 INR (including Baby Seat) + Fuel 11233 INR
Rental 2: PLZ to PLZ (km driven 231)
Hyundai Venue - Car Rental 7596 INR + 1461 Baby Seat + Fuel 1341 INR
Rental 3: JNB to JNB (kms driven 170)
Honda Ballade (City) - Car Rental 2555 INR + Fuel 602 INR
Trip Itinerary
Day 1 & 2: Cape Town (Pullman Hotel, City Centre)
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3 & 4: Cape Town (Marriott Hotel, Crystal Towers)
Day 3
Day 5: Knysna (Protea Hotels, Knysna Quays)
Day 7
Meet the Big Five of South Africa!!
Day 9: Johannesburg (Mercure Hotel, Bedfordview)
After having a lovely Indian Meal at Ghazal restaurant after 10 days we finally bid goodbye to South Africa the next morning and vowed to explore another African country soon. Even though I have explored very few countries, I can vouch for the mesmerising views that the whole of South Africa has to offer!
The total cost of my trip including everything came to around Rs 2L which includes some shopping of around 10,000. The major expenses were car rentals, fuel, flight seat upgrades and taxes for the award flight bookings. After the trip, the only way I thought I could have saved some money was by not visiting Cape of Good Hope, Iziko Bo Kaap Museum and carrying water bottles everywhere since water is expensive!!
I have just concluded my South Africa family trip and would like to document everything for my fellow members here in this travelogue. So in March after returning from Hong Kong, I was zeroing in on my next destination considering places I could travel with my infant in August since I could see a long trip opportunity by clubbing my leaves with other leaves. @anirban.choudhury suggested some good places and South Africa suited me a lot due to the good weather (winters). Also, I had transferred a lot of my points to United before Axis Bank devalued the transfer ratio on Magnus. My miles gave me great value even for the economy seats and the availability was great for the planned dates. Moreover, Africa has always fascinated me with its wildlife hence I have wanted to explore it for a long time now.
This trip was many firsts for me.
- The first time I travelled out of Asia so it was my first long-haul flight.
- First international trip for my 9-month-old kid.
- First international self-drive trip. (Although I have driven quite a lot in Bhutan but that was in my own car).
Before we go into the detailed itinerary and costs/miles involved I would like to summarise some important information below.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is not mandatory for South Africa visits but I never travel anywhere without protecting myself from unforeseen circumstances. I purchased travel insurance from Acko since I found the policy to be very comprehensive and much cheaper than other companies with the same benefits. I paid 1748 INR for 2 adults and 1 infant for 11 days.
Safety Concerns
As per the statistics, South Africa is ranked one of the most dangerous countries in Africa with a high rate of violent crime but tourist areas are arguably very safe and most of the tourist places in Cape Town have Tourist Security officials positioned on the ground. Also, we didn't face a single incident whatsoever in our 10 days of stay. I would suggest the following things as a precaution which I followed as per my research.
- Avoid driving after sunset to secluded places. Also, remember that Markets and even big grocery stores close early in the evening and most of the towns become ghost towns after 5-6 PM (especially Johannesburg). We did go out to the malls for shopping and dinner which stayed open till 9-10 PM hence we did fine.
- Always park in well-lit and busy parking lots. Preferably underground parking lots in malls and hotels. In free parking lots you will find many people wearing reflective vests who unofficially look after cars parked in exchange for a tip. If the parking is paid then no need to tip anyone.
- Rest follow whatever precautions you take in big cities like Delhi. Don't flash your gadgets or jewellery and also don't leave valuables visible inside the car.
Cape Town
Avoid going to townships (Resettlement Colonies) whether it's day or night. You must avoid Nyanga, Phillipi, Khayelitsha, Phillipi, Delft, Gugulethu, Langa, Mitchell Plains and such areas. Cape Flats are flooded with townships and are best avoided. When in Cape Town N2 and N1 Motorways are best friends so stick to them as much as possible. For exploring south Cape Town take M3 and M5 and avoid roads like R310 and R300 which pass via townships.
Johannesburg
Since we stayed for just a night in Joburg I didn't research much but there are certain areas near CBD like Yeoville, Berea, Hillbrow and Jeppestown which you can avoid driving through.
Load Shedding
In South Africa, the power consumption outweighs generation and scheduled power cuts are done but in the last 150 days, there has been no load shedding in the country for the first time in years which is a good thing for tourists. Although all major hotels have power backup you won't face any security or water shortage issues even if load shedding happens.
VISA
It is recommended to apply for the visa at least 30-45 days in advance although they process it in 5-7 days on average. Since I stayed in Chandigarh and there was no VFS Global Centre here, I went to Delhi to apply for it. I paid just 9.2k INR for 3 visas instead of the 24k INR fees mentioned on websites like Atlys and 15k INR on Akbar Travels. The documents list is quite tedious and very similar to what's asked for a Schengen Visa. All the details for the visa can be checked from here. Also, be prepared with a consent letter and support letter for the infant which is not mentioned in the checklist. I received my passports back with my Visa within 5 days of application.
E-Visa: South Africa also allows e-visa applications for Indians but as per my research their portal is full of glitches and if you are somehow able to submit the application the embassy takes ages to process the same. Hence this route is better avoided.
Yellow fever vaccination is not required if your transit time is less than 12 hours in Ethiopia. Ours was 1.5 hours so we didn't get vaccinated.
Cash Withdrawal and Credit Cards
South Africa is a highly cashless economy with every merchant having POS machines readily available. Also, most of the attractions are completely cashless and you won't be able to enter without tapping your card. I was armed with Axis Reserve and AMEX Platinum Charge cards for the swipes. I used AXIS Reserve very extensively there to get my 2x points on forex transactions. When it comes to cash withdrawals unfortunately none of the ATMs will allow you to withdraw cash using Indian Debit Cards without paying terminal charges just like in Thailand, Mexico and Panama. Most ATMs like Nedbank, Standard, Capitec and FNB will charge you 50 ZAR (~240INR) per cash withdrawal except banks like ABSA which will charge you 75 ZAR. I withdrew 2000 ZAR for my whole stay and the amount proved to be good enough. The cash was used mainly for tipping and donations.
SIM Card
There are four major operators in SA and two of them (Vodacom and MTN) have their kiosks at the Cape Town International Arrival Hall. Vodacom has a more comprehensive reach but is costlier while MTN is cheaper. I had taken MTN and was quite satisfied with its coverage since it worked almost everywhere. I purchased two physical sims each costing around 349 ZAR (~1650 INR) for around 10GB of data and 60 local calling minutes. I had already checked the prices of e-sim providers online and all of them were costing much more than this. I didn't look for any card-specific offers for the sim online due to lack of time.
Travel Adaptors and Voltage
South Africa runs on a 220V AC supply hence you won't be needing any voltage converter. Further Type N and Type M travel adaptors are used in South Africa. There is no need to buy anything for Type M since the 16A Power plug which we use in India is Type M only so if you have a multi-plug at home then that would suffice. Also, type N was more widely used in hotels for bedside tables so if you like to use your phone while charging then you will have to look for a Type N to Type D converter which is not easily available in India.
Tipping Guide
In South Africa, tipping is a common courtesy and one should budget it when planning a trip since it's best to learn the culture of a place and its people to avoid doubts and awkward situations. Although tipping is discretionary but is widely accepted in SA and makes a significant part of the income of the service industry workers. Here I am mentioning some tips for giving tips which I gathered from a local while on my trip.
- Petrol and Parking attendants can be tipped anywhere between 5-20 ZAR. Don't go any way more than that even if asked for.
- Hotel Doorman can be tipped around 20 ZAR for helping you with your luggage.
- In restaurants, they usually have a tipping guide mentioned on their bill. 10% is the norm and can go up to 20% of the bill if you have had exceptional service.
- For Safari guides you can give 50 - 100 ZAR per person per day at the end of your stay.
- Hotels generally have a common pool for tips for their staff at the reception and can be paid around 50 ZAR per day at the end of your stay.
Flights
Booked the following flights using 1,54,000 United Miles and 17.5K in taxes using the Excursionist Perk of United Airlines. The revenue rate of these flights is more than 2L INR easily and South Africa is one of the few destinations from India which gives you good value even in the Economy. I took the fastest carrier to fly from India to RSA which is the Ethiopian Airlines with a stopover in its capital city of Addis Ababa (ADD).
- 12th August DEL to ADD Ethiopian Airlines ET687 2:30 AM to 6:30 AM
- 12th August ADD to CPT Ethiopian Airlines ET687 8:15 AM to 1:45 PM
- 20th August PLZ to JNB 1:10 PM to 2:45 PM SA410 South African Airways
- 21st August JNB to ADD Ethiopian Airlines ET848 8:20 AM to 2:45 PM
- 21st August ADD to DEL Ethiopian Airlines ET848 3:55 PM to 1:05AM
The return flight was chosen specifically from Joburg since the timings were suitable and also wanted to see the famed leader Nelson Mandela's house in Soweto, Johannesburg.
- I had booked bulkhead seats with a bassinet for the infant which made the whole journey quite comfortable for us and the baby too, Paid approx 3375 INR per leg per person hence had to fork out approx 27000 INR for the same. This can’t be done offline and you have to call them.
- The crew experience was mixed and certainly not what I had experienced in Singapore Airlines. The food was good and if you are a vegetarian you need to pre-book your meals via the Ethiopian website.
- ADD airport was small but efficient and had a Plaza Premium lounge which accepted our Priority Passes. Since our layovers were too tight we could just grab a coffee or two.
Rental Cars and Car Insurance
In the first instance, I had planned to take a car rental from Avis using any Visa Infinite card that I hold since it automatically enrols one into their President’s Club which gives double upgrades sometimes. But later when I compared the rates on Skyscanner I found them heavily inflated so I booked cars for each booking separately and got the choicest options at cheaper prices. For rental car insurance, I chose a cover from rentalcover.com which covers all the damages and also covers the cost of Roadside Assistance in case the need arises. For the complete trip, the insurance cost me around 6000 INR which proved to be cheaper than what I had paid to Avis.
Rental 1: CPT to PLZ (km driven 2385)
Toyota Corolla Quest - Car Rental 20685 INR (including Baby Seat) + Fuel 11233 INR
Rental 2: PLZ to PLZ (km driven 231)
Hyundai Venue - Car Rental 7596 INR + 1461 Baby Seat + Fuel 1341 INR
Rental 3: JNB to JNB (kms driven 170)
Honda Ballade (City) - Car Rental 2555 INR + Fuel 602 INR
Trip Itinerary
Day 1 & 2: Cape Town (Pullman Hotel, City Centre)
- Damages for 2 nights~ 9000 ALL Accor Points + 2828 INR which includes two meals (Revenue Rates 11.5K per night)
- The hotel has a multilevel car park which has access from the back street and the staff was quite attentive and courteous. Breakfast was also good. No issues were faced whatsoever.
- The room was upgraded courtesy of ALL Accor Gold Status and was given a room with the Table Mountains view as requested in advance.
Day 1:
- We landed around 2 PM and went through the immigration quickly. After grabbing the SIM and some cash from the Airport we went to the Self Drive Pick Up area and I was zipping through the highways of Cape Town within minutes.
- After having lunch in the hotel we went out in the evening to the V&A Waterfront to get some winter essentials for the infant since it was windier than we had expected. V&A Waterfront is a high-end mall with elite restaurants and you can even experience live music in the evenings on the open-air deck. And the chill was adding to our thrill.
- While the markets close very early, malls stay open till 11 PM and are very safe. Had our dinner in a vegan-friendly cafe by the name of Tiger’s Milk.
Day 2:
- After having our breakfast in the hotel we started our day by exploring Muizenberg Beach which is famous for its distinct coloured huts and water sports activities like surfing.
- Then we took a small detour and enjoyed the scenic Old Boye’s Drive which overlooks Muizenberg Beach and the complete False Bay Area.
- After this, we went to Boulder's Beach where one can see African Penguins in their natural habitat.
- Our next stop was Cape of Good Hope which is the southernmost point of Cape Town. Since this is located inside Table Mountain National Park there is a hefty fee of 1600 INR per adult so I would recommend you to reach there early if you want to enjoy all the viewpoints and also trek to the new lighthouse. Since we didn’t have any such plans with the infant we had designed our itinerary in this way.
- The old lighthouse can be reached using the Funicular Railway which is quite inexpensive.
- After having our lunch in a tiny village called Scarborough at Whole Earth Cafe we went to experience one of the world’s most beautiful drives called the Chapman’s Peak Drive.
- Finally after enjoying the sunset at one of the lookout points we exited the toll road on Hout Bay.
- We retired to the hotel after enjoying a good meal in the Piano Lounge inside Pullman where we also consumed our complimentary welcome drink vouchers.
Day 3 & 4: Cape Town (Marriott Hotel, Crystal Towers)
- Damages per night ~ 2 FNAs = 3600 INR x 2 paid for HDFC Marriott Bonvoy Card + 6500 MB Points (Revenue Rate 17K/per night)
- The tariff included breakfast surprisingly since Marriott generally provides this as a perk to Platinum and above tier holders. Hotel services were even better than the Pullman. They levy a compulsory parking charge of 85 ZAR per night but you will get some great value for your MB Points
Day 3
- Since I am not really a fan of wines I went to do a cellar tour at Groot Constantia which is within the Cape Town area. You can also try their chocolate and wine pairing tasting session. But if you have a full day to spare for vineyards I would recommend you to take the Tram Tour to Stellenbosch from Cape Town.
- After this, we had our lunch at another vegan-friendly cafe in Glencairn named Blended Health and we really loved their vegan wraps and Kombuchas.
- In our original itinerary, we had kept the evening for a ride on the cable car to the Table Mountains but since it was under maintenance we went to Camps Bay Beach to explore one of the most beautiful beaches in Cape Town with Table Mountains in the backdrop.
- In the night we went to Century City Mall to have our dinner at Mugg and Bean which is a chain QSR in South Africa with good food. The mall is very close to the Marriott Hotel.
- We started our day with a tour of Robben Island and this is the only ticket which I would recommend you to get well in advance. It's a 3-hour tour which takes you to a prison complex via ferry to Robben Island. Nelson Mandela spent 28 years in this jail while fighting against the Apartheid regime. You can park your car at the V&A Waterfront Mall.
- Further, we explored the Castle of Good Hope within the city centre which is an old colonial fortress built by the Dutch to use as a military headquarters to control the Spice Route. It has a free guided tour also.
- Our next stop was the District Six Museum which is dedicated to the 60,000 old people who were forcefully evicted from their homes which were present on prime location land in Cape Town during the apartheid regime. Showed us what people really paid for so that we could enjoy the beautiful city of Cape Town.
- Next, we had our lunch at Wild Cafe located within the CBD house a zero-waste store called Nude Foods. We also did grocery shopping there since we found dates, macadamia nuts, African coffee beans and other items to be quite cheaper than in India. Quality needless to say was top-notch! If we didn’t have to take the domestic flight we would have brought much more from there.
- Our next stop was Iziko Bo-Kaap which is located at Signal Hill's base and began in the 1760s as the Malay Quarter. Slaves from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Africa lived in white rental houses. After gaining ownership, they painted them bright colours to express freedom.
- There was a museum there as well which I would recommend you not to go to since I found it to be quite worthless.
Day 5: Knysna (Protea Hotels, Knysna Quays)
- Damages 10,000 MB Points (Revenue Rate 9K/per night)
- The room was upgraded since I hold an MB Gold Tier and also they gave us a good ocean-view room as I had requested with them earlier.
- We skipped breakfast and started very early from Cape Town and drove around 400 km to a town called Oudtshoorn which is world famous for its ostriches. On the way, we stopped at a Mugg and Bean on-the-go outlet for takeaway breakfast. After Swollendam we took the more scenic route via R324 and R62. I have never seen a route more beautiful than this!!!!
- We visited Safari Ostrich Farm for a tractor tour which we had booked in advance from their website since they were providing a good discount online.
- They have South African, Kenyan, Zimbabwean and the elusive white ostriches. The tour was great and the guide was very enthusiastic during the whole tour.
- Next, we went to Knysna Elephant Park which was the first facility in RSA to care for orphaned Elephants. The tour was great and we got to interact with and feed the elephants very closely that too in their natural habitat.
- In the evening we went to a lookout point named Knysna Heads which had breathtaking views of the ocean. It is the best spot to be in during sunset to catch the beautiful view of the cliffs and the Knysna Quay.
- Just like other towns and cities streets got deserted even in Knysna in the evening. Our stay had very limited veg options so we went out on a drive to Thesen Island and landed on a restaurant named Next Food Bar which was luckily open. Although the streets were deserted, inside it was business as usual since most of the tables were occupied. We really loved the food since there were many options.
- Booked a farm stay using Agoda for INR 3700. Really loved the place.
- After checking out from the Knysna we had our breakfast in a cafe called Grain Mill and the food just like all our other meals was simply fantastic.
- We had initially planned to explore the Robberg Hiking Trail but skipped it since we wanted to keep the day a bit relaxed for the next day.
- Our destinations for today were Monkeyland which is the world's first free-roaming multi-specie primate sanctuary and Birds of Eden which is the largest single-dome free-flight aviary in the world, spanning 2.3 hectares of natural forests, streams and dams. We bought a combo ticket since it was cheaper. We spent nearly 3-4 hours exploring both the parks.
- If you love collecting magnets as a souvenir like us then Monkeyland has a good collection. Check them out!
- Further, you can also explore Wolf Sanctuary on this route.
- The list of things to do on the garden route is endless but since we had limited time we kept our adventures limited to wildlife places which were easily accessible with an infant.
- Tsitsikamma National Park is another popular place where you can do bungee jumping or simply trek for days on the Otter trail. Or else you can explore the suspension bridge on the Storm’s river mouth.
- Damages 62,000 ALL Accor Points + 5628 INR (Revenue Rate 1,20,000 INR)
- Since I booked different rooms hence the cash component was a bit on the higher side.
- Mantis Founders Lodge is the personal lodge of Adrian Gardiner who is the founder of the Shamwari Game Reserve and he is the man behind the conservation efforts in the Eastern Cape. Founders Lodge is one of the few all-inclusive luxury safari resort offerings from ALL Accor. It has just 6 rooms hence personal attention is given to all the guests. They will surprise you every day with meals in different places all over the resort.
Day 7
- We started in the morning and first went to SANCOBB which is a penguin conservatory and rehab centre and the tour was very informational. Seeing their sincere efforts I donated some of the cash I had.
-
- I had booked the Master Suite for the first day and the Founder’s Railway Carriage which is an actual railway carriage for the second day. I had left the best for the end and really loved our stay here. They served us excellent vegetarian food.
- When you book a stay in this resort you get Safari twice a day complimentary which lasts for 2-3 hours each. Since we were with an infant we took turns to enjoy the safari and the rangers tried their best to spot all the wildlife in the park.
- Shamwari Game Reserve houses the Big Five of South Africa (African Elephant, Lion, Leopard, African Buffalo and Black Rhino) and other animals including Giraffe, Zebra, Hippos, Hyena, Jackals, Foxes and a variety of Antelopes.
- The best part of this property is the lawn near the pool and the photographic hideout. Since we went in the winter we really loved lying in the grass for hours enjoying the sun with our infant.
- So all in all when you book a stay here you get an all-inclusive package of all the meals, drinks and safaris that too twice a day!
Meet the Big Five of South Africa!!
Day 9: Johannesburg (Mercure Hotel, Bedfordview)
- Damages
2,0000 ALL Accor Points + 404 INR
- We checked out from Mantis around 11 AM and took the flight after handing the car to the rental company guy.
- After picking up our car from OR Tambo Airport we headed to the Mercure Hotel. The Mercure stay was not up to the mark since the washroom had maintenance issues and even after repeated requests, our room was not changed. Hence I complained to the higher-ups after coming back and got my points refunded.
- I had gone to Johannesburg just to see two things, one was the Apartheid Museum and the other the house of the famed anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. Since the Apartheid Museum remains closed on Monday and Tuesday consecutively we lost our opportunity to see it since it was too late when I realised it.
- Anyway, we visited Vilakazi Street in Soweto to visit the home of Nelson Mandela which has been converted into a museum now. The bullet marks from the resistance days are still present in the walls of the house!
After having a lovely Indian Meal at Ghazal restaurant after 10 days we finally bid goodbye to South Africa the next morning and vowed to explore another African country soon. Even though I have explored very few countries, I can vouch for the mesmerising views that the whole of South Africa has to offer!
The total cost of my trip including everything came to around Rs 2L which includes some shopping of around 10,000. The major expenses were car rentals, fuel, flight seat upgrades and taxes for the award flight bookings. After the trip, the only way I thought I could have saved some money was by not visiting Cape of Good Hope, Iziko Bo Kaap Museum and carrying water bottles everywhere since water is expensive!!
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